USW experts join Wales-wide research and innovation showcase

Hosted by the Wales Office and Wales Innovation Network, the event at Lancaster House in London highlighted the strength and breadth of Welsh university research, and its ability to deliver tangible benefits to communities in Wales, the UK, and across the world. The event was also attended by Professor Martin Steggall, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation) at USW.

Attended by Welsh Secretary David TC Davies and Science Minister George Freeman, the event featured 20 exhibits which demonstrated Welsh R&I strengths and aimed to encourage continued investment in Welsh research.

USW researchers involved in the event were Professor Sandra Esteves, who presented on research into water and hydrogen; Dr Mabrouka Abuhmida, who represented the Wales Institute of Digital Information alongside Tom Powell, who is seconded to USW from Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, and focused on population health and biotech; and Richard Hurford, Senior Lecturer in Perform Games Animation and Music at USW, who represented Media Cymru - a £50m collaboration to develop a world-leading hub for innovation across TV, film, and the wider media industry in Wales - who highlighted creative industries and media.

With projects ranging from decarbonisation and cyber innovation to virus detection and semiconductor technology, the exhibition demonstrated the diversity of the Welsh research and innovation sector, and the vital role it has to play in driving forward the UK economy and providing solutions to some of society’s most pressing challenges.

Wales is already leading the way in areas as diverse as MedTech, AgriTech and Net Zero and has a world-leading compound semi-conductor cluster driving innovation in a technology used in nearly every mobile phone on the market today.

Collaboration is also a key strength of the Welsh sector, with many of the projects on display involving partnership working across several Welsh universities.

The UK Government has made a commitment to invest nearly £40 billion in research and development between 2022 and 2025. Welsh universities are well-placed to access more research funding for research with a push to increase funding to areas of the UK outside the southeast of England by at least 40% by 2030.

Dr Calvert said: “It was an honour to attend this event with the Welsh Secretary and to see how the University of South Wales is a leader in a number of areas of research.

“Wales is punching above its weight when it comes to research and innovation, and it was fascinating to see first-hand the wide range of cutting-edge work being carried out at higher education institutions across the country.”

Professor Esteves said: “It was an honour to be involved in this event and to be able to show the Welsh Secretary the breadth of the work on sustainability we are doing at USW.

“Being able to talk directly to such influencers can be of real benefit to those of us who carry out this research, offering as it does a chance to explain the importance of such work and how it can have a major impact on the push for net-zero.”

Dr Abuhmida said: “The event served as an excellent platform for networking, providing me with the chance to connect with people who would have been hard to reach otherwise.

“In the grand scheme of things, visibility is a key, and I can confidently say that we made progress on some of the topics discussed today. I had the chance to observe the research activities of others and see how they passionately presented their research, which was truly inspiring and encouraging to rebrand some of my work to align with what I learnt today.”

Welsh Secretary David TC Davies said: “I was delighted to welcome Welsh universities to this very special event and demonstrate the UK Government’s commitment to the higher education sector. It was a great opportunity for UKRI to get a flavour of some of the incredible research and innovation that’s already taking place in Wales across all of our universities.

“I want Welsh universities to play a vital role in positioning the UK at the forefront of R&D, and I hope this event has helped us make progress towards that common goal.”